MANLY, NSW. — In the 1800s, a Manly Council by-law (Sydney) prohibited swimming in the ocean during daylight hours, specifically between 6am and 8pm. William Henry Gocher, a local newspaper proprietor, disagreed with the law and openly defied it.
In his newspaper, the ‘Manly and North Sydney News’, he announced his intention to go bathing in the ocean during the daylight hours on Thursday, October 2, 1902.
Gocher flouted the law three times before he was actually arrested.
However, he continued his campaign against the bathing laws, and a year later, on November 3, the Manly Council rescinded the by-law prohibiting daylight bathing.
A new by-law was issued permitting bathing in daylight hours, but emphasising the need for neck-to-knee swimwear for anyone over 8 years old.
Men and women were also required to swim at separate times.
